He made that plain at Thursday’s debate with a web video he sent out before the event linking himself to Paul and saying onstage he would pick the Texas congressman as running mate as he laid his claim to the libertarian mantle.

“This is a movement that needs to grow significantly beyond where Dr. Paul has taken it,” Johnson told POLITICO afterward. “That’s the goal here.”

Now’s the moment in the presidential cycle when things get serious: On the trail and at the debates, the people who might actually be president are introducing themselves and their positions to voters. The also-rans, never-weres and not-going-to-bes are cluttering up the stage, leaving many people scratching their heads about what these people are doing up there with the real contenders.

It’s a fairly large bottom tier compared with past cycles, and a significantly weaker one. They’re far short of either party’s field from four years ago, and even shorter than the famous “seven dwarves” of the 1988 Democratic field — a group of significant party players which included two future vice presidents.

Forget about odds of winning: for Santorum and Gingrich, a good showing in the next few months can rebuild their reputations. For Cain, it could position him as a GOP party elder. For Paul, it paves the way even more for his son.

And for Roemer, who acknowledged that he’s unlikely to get his best case scenario of scoring a “third or fourth” finish in the Granite State that he believes could propel his campaign to the other states, it’s about two pet peeves he’s been steaming about for years. The former Louisiana governor and congressman who’s still holding out hope of at least getting his own debate moment, wants to talk China trade policy and eliminating big-money donors to political candidates. He’s already taken his case to the sidewalk in front of the Chinese embassy in Washington, where he held a protest press conference several weeks ago, and to the sets of Comedy Central, where he’s appeared on the “Daily Show” and the “Colbert Report.”

“I’d like to be on [television] either as president or as someone who tried to be president,” Roemer said. “These two issues will not go away.”

Santorum has been getting some attention for his debate performances and has a fourth place finish in Ames to brag about. He insisted to POLITICO this week that his confidence about actually winning the race wasn’t delusion — “I’ll do a blood test and pee in a cup,” he said — and according to a longtime close adviser and friend, has never discussed a campaign end-game.